Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 2
Tony DagradiRun2025
2025
$3,600
£2,764.65
€3,168.25
CA$5,067.91
A$5,677.18
CHF 2,958.33
MX$69,249.88
NOK 37,593.57
SEK 35,448.06
DKK 23,646.95
About the Item
TONY DAGRADI is an internationally recognized jazz performer, artist, composer, author, and educator. For over three decades he has made his home in New Orleans, performing on tenor and soprano saxophone with many of the Crescent City’s celebrated artists. He is most well-known for his work with Astral Project, an adventurous quartet of top New Orleans players dedicated to playing cutting-edge improvisational music. His performing past also includes five years as a member of the internationally acclaimed Carla Bley and appearances and recordings with Bobby McFerrin, Mose Allison, and Nat Adderley.
Since 2015, Tony has been exploring the visual possibilities of altered books. Choosing vintage and antiquarian texts, he carefully cuts through one page at a time utilizing existing images to create a three-dimensional collage or sculpture. The results allow the contents and imagery of long outdated material to be viewed in a manner that is both exciting and thought-provoking.
The artist says of his artwork...
My decades-long career in contemporary jazz directly informs my work as a visual artist. For me, music has always had a visual component, with the diverse elements of music suggesting colors, shapes and textures. The juxtaposition of abstract shapes, which come together as I work on a book, is very much how I perceive the interplay of melody, harmony, and rhythm. I also feel very strongly that the mathematics and spirituality of music intersect all art forms.
My process in creating sculptural effects with books is continually evolving. When I first began, I sealed the edges of each book and cut through one page at a time, making choices on the fly as to what images I chose to keep. As my technical skills progressed and I gained more confidence and experience, I found this to be a somewhat limiting approach. I wanted more flexibility. In my current preferred method, I harvest the images I am most interested in then add them back one at a time as the composition emerges. I still cut away one page at a time, and always work from front to back. In this way, I have greater control over the placement of each object as well as the direction of the entire composition.
I enjoy working with many types of books; graphic novels, atlases, scientific texts, technical manuals, etc. Each represents a different and unique challenge. I especially relish working with vintage books and encyclopedias. The eclectic photos and illustrations often represent material that is long out of date yet offer a fascinating window into our past. At the same time, the quality and condition of the paper itself often extend their own unique challenge. Ultimately, I hope to provide a perspective on the transitory nature of what earlier generations understood to be factual and offer insight into the way ever-evolving media has shaped contemporary perspectives.
- Creator:
- Creation Year:2025
- Dimensions:Height: 10 in (25.4 cm)Width: 7.5 in (19.05 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New Orleans, LA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU105216019632
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
Established in 1998
1stDibs seller since 2015
171 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 6 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: New Orleans, LA
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllTeddy
By Tony Dagradi
Located in New Orleans, LA
TONY DAGRADI is an internationally recognized jazz performer, artist, composer, author, and educator. For over three decades he has made his home in New Orleans, performing on tenor ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Paper, Varnish, Found Objects
$5,000
Excerpts
By Tony Dagradi
Located in New Orleans, LA
TONY DAGRADI is an internationally recognized jazz performer, artist, composer, author, and educator. For over three decades he has made his home in New Orleans, performing on tenor ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Varnish, Found Objects
Bygone Days
By Tony Dagradi
Located in New Orleans, LA
Medium: hardcover book, acrylic varnish
TONY DAGRADI is an internationally recognized jazz performer, artist, composer, author, and educator. For over three decades he has made his ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Varnish
Manifest Destiny
By Tony Dagradi
Located in New Orleans, LA
TONY DAGRADI is an internationally recognized jazz performer, artist, composer, author, and educator. For over three decades he has made his home in New Orleans, performing on tenor ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Varnish, Found Objects
Willie & Joe
By Tony Dagradi
Located in New Orleans, LA
TONY DAGRADI is an internationally recognized jazz performer, artist, composer, author, and educator. For over three decades he has made his home in New Orleans, performing on tenor ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Paper, Varnish, Found Objects
Over Land And Sea
By Tony Dagradi
Located in New Orleans, LA
TONY DAGRADI is an internationally recognized jazz performer, artist, composer, author, and educator. For over three decades he has made his home in New Orleans, performing on tenor ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Varnish, Found Objects
You May Also Like
Untitled II
By Eddy Firmin
Located in Montreal, Quebec
The first decades of the 21st century shaped the period of reconfiguration of the "world order", according to Pedro Pablo Gómez1, into three options: "rewesternalization, dewesternal...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Ceramic
Beyond
By Jim Rennert
Located in Greenwich, CT
Edition of 9
Jim Rennert was born in 1958, and grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Salt Lake City, Utah. After ten trying years of working in business, Rennert was inspired to explore ...
Category
2010s Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
$14,000
Untitled
By Tony Berlant
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Tony Berlant (b. 1941) is an American artist renowned for his painterly collages and intricate metal sculptures. His work combines various source materials including photographs, fou...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Metal, Steel
$5,600 Sale Price
20% Off
Frontrunner
By Jim Rennert
Located in Greenwich, CT
American, b. 1958
National Sculpture Society Fellow
Jim Rennert was born in 1958, and grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Salt Lake City, Utah. After ten trying years of working in b...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze, Steel
$18,500
Untitled
By Eddy Firmin
Located in Montreal, Quebec
The first decades of the 21st century shaped the period of reconfiguration of the "world order", according to Pedro Pablo Gómez1, into three options: "rewesternalization, dewesternal...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Metal
Untitled I
By Eddy Firmin
Located in Montreal, Quebec
The first decades of the 21st century shaped the period of reconfiguration of the "world order", according to Pedro Pablo Gómez1, into three options: "rewesternalization, dewesternal...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Ceramic
More Ways To Browse
Joanne Jaffe
Joffa Kerr
Jordi Diez Fernandez
Katherine Choy
Kathleen Friedenberg Bronze Horse Sculptures
Kaws Elmo
Keith Christie Western Bronze Sculpture
Kevin Champeny
Kunst Met Een R
Lalanne Mouton
Last Supper Bas Relief
Laurence Le Constant Skulls
Laurence Le Constant
Lincoln Dalivision Silver
Louis Bancel
Louis De Guzman
M L Snowden
Magda Gluszek